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The Walking Dead spin-off announced

A "companion series" to AMC's The Walking Dead is being developed for launch in 2015...

How about this for some news? Just as The Walking Dead is poised to enter its fourth season, AMC has announced its plans to extend the franchise with a brand new spin-off series.

"An entirely new story and cast of characters" is being planned for the proposed companion series to The Walking Dead. Announced today by AMC President Charlie Collier, the spin-off will provide "another unforgettable view of the zombie apocalypse".

Comic series creator and Executive Producer Robert Kirkman is to serve as EP on the new series alongside The WalkingDead'sGale Anne Hurd and David Alpert. Here's what Kirkman had to say about the in-development companion show:

“After 10 years of writing the comic book series and being so close to the debut of our fourth, and in my opinion, best season of the TV series, I couldn’t be more thrilled about getting the chance to create a new corner of The Walking Dead universe. The opportunity to make a show that isn’t tethered by the events of the comic book, and is truly a blank page, has set my creativity racing.”

The first question has to be how this new series, planned for release in 2015, will distinguish itself from the existing drama? A blank page untethered to the events of the comic book presents infinite storytelling possibilities of course, but why distil them into a separate series rather than integrate them with what already exists? What form will the companion series take (duration, tone, crossover potential)? And ultimately, what does this mean for the future of The Walking Dead?

We'll keep you updated as more arrives.

The Walking Dead season four begins on AMC on Sunday the 13th of October.